Durban – Ndwedwe Local Municipality mayor Sam Mfeka says he is busy engaging with the provincial government to seek temporary measures to minimise the disruptions to essential services after Thusong Centre in Bhamshela burnt down on Thursday night.
The centre, which houses almost all departments, including the South African Social Security Agency, was gutted by fire which almost destroyed it.
According to the statement issued by the municipality, the mayor said although police and the municipality were still investigating, no foul play was suspected. The mayor said he was in discussions with the provincial government to see whether it can assist with park homes as a temporary measure.
“We received information in the evening yesterday that there was a fire in the centre. The damage looks severe but our officials are still assessing the cost of the damage. What concerns us most now is the disruption of essential services which were provided by various departments in the centre, which our people will have to again travel long distances to get those services, but we want to assure them that we are busy liaising with the provincial government to see whether we can get park homes as a temporary measure to continue with services,” said the mayor.
The centre was built as part of government efforts to bring essential services closer to the people. Some of the departments that were housed at the centre included Home Affairs, Social Development, Health and others.
The mayor said that, in the meantime, people can come to Ndwedwe near municipality offices to access similar services while the municipality tries to source help from the provincial leadership.
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